A client of mine recently asked if the image used below would be a cheesy attempt to gain engagement in social media. The short answer is no. My full response broke down why this could be a huge engagement driver if done right and explains three things to consider when using this strategy.

Share story

Dude Perfect is a brand that has dominated a niche and captivated millions of people. Pure entertainment that utilizes today’s tools to distribute its content. It makes for a great case study — not only to see how Dude Perfect built a successful business model, but to see how brands are sponsoring Dude Perfect and investing in new models of content marketing advertising.

So how does Dude Perfect do this so well, and how did they get started? In the video below, I break down my observations that you can apply to your content marketing strategy.

Share story

This morning, my daily meditation made space for some thoughts to rise to the top. Just as a quick aside, I feel like when I meditate, my cleared mind removes clutter and brings uncooked thoughts or observations to the top of mind that are probably important.

While I was meditating, I felt anxiety as I started to think about quite a few people I’ve reached out to recently who never responded — people I’ve met and followed up with or sent intro emails to. I suppose the anxiety was caused by disappointment in loss opportunity that these meetings could have lead to. Also maybe a little anger at them not wanting to meet me. Now these are all initial thoughts, of course, and there are probably legitimate reasons why they didn’t respond. I started to think about following up and how effective it can be when people follow up with me when it slips my mind to respond. Very few do, and many times it actually works.

This led me to the obvious conclusion that this is something I’m sure happens to everyone. I then thought of who “everyone” includes, which would be Andy Frisella, who’s video I recently watched. Andy co-founded 1st Phorm supplements and a chain of supplement stores. So he’s a very successful self-made guy. I noticed his manner of handling himself in his videos very powerful. He was what I summarize as “Hardened & Congruent” — these traits that are very clear with all the successful people meet. Let me explain what I mean by “hardened and congruent”:

Share story

My business is currently raising the second round of angel funding, so as we now prepare for a larger amount of money, we are gathering all the proper documentation to do things right. At the current stage, we must put together a PPM (Private Placement Memorandum) which is a 40+ page document clarifying to investors that there is risk involved when investing in a startup. Continue reading…

Share story

The startup road is littered with bodies of dead startups and crushed dreams. The chances of your startup making it and ever being successful are extremely low. Many of those dead bodies were perfectly capable of success, but uncontrollable changes in the markets or life in general can strike a final blow, with no warning, at any time.

Being the CEO of a startup is much like being Leonitis when he commanded his 300 Spartans to face the thousands of Persians in the narrow passage with the almost certainty of death. While this is exciting to think about, the consequences of defeat are real. Yes, it might not cost your life if your startup fails (though, sadly it could), but there is so much at stake. The physical toll and stress from the startup will definitely take years off your life.

Share story

Conceiving a business idea — or more accurately stated — recognizing an opportunity, is a fundamental stage to any new business. It’s the vision someone aspires to bring to reality. It’s what provides excitement and enough courage to take incredible risk. It’s the beginning of a journey that could lead to wealth, and will lead to inevitable hardships. Creating valuable ideas is a skill that needs to be sharpened with practice, and more importantly, action. Learn to love this skill, because it’s a daily task for any CEO or entrepreneur.

Share story

I recently read an article by Groove’s CEO, Alex Turnbull. It resonated with me because it explained one of the scariest things for entrepreneurs – uncertainty. Insecurities can really affect an entrepreneur’s self belief which is devastating and something that’s frequently challenged with this lifestyle. His article explains a solution to uncertainty that is simple and efficient, but difficult to maintain. Here’s what he said:

Share story

Being able to produce good content is difficult, yet essential to any branding strategy. I’ve learned a lot over the years after having my own publication with writers all over the country, and as branding manager for a big corporation that didn’t know what a blog really was prior to me being hired. These are 5 essential tips for prodcing and managing content I learned the hard way. Continue reading…

Share story

Optimize Your Life

Alex Cruz

Welcome to my blog! We are living through some of the most revolutionizing times in history as technology disrupts everything in its path and paves the way for new more efficient ways to take it's place. As a founder of a software startup (PenPath.com) and consultant for companies both big and small, I share my best nuggets of information with you though my blog. I hope it helps you out. For more about me, check out the about page.
-Alex